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O. FLBRUSH.

SECONDARY BATTERY GHARGING. No. 395,379. Patented Jan. 1, 1889,

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.0. F. BRUSH.

SECONDARY BATTERY GHARGING.

' No. 395,379. Patented Jan. 1, 1889.

l/VVE/VTOR. WITNESSES, I V 6,5, I

'wmmm UNITED STATES PATENT EricE.

CHARLES E. llRl Sll, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGXOR TO THE BRUSH ELECTRIC COMPAXY, OF SAME PLACE.

SECONDARY-BATTERY CHARGING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 395,379, dated January 1, 1889.

Original application filed June 13, 1882, Serial No, 64,033. Divided and this application filed December 11,1883. Serial No. 114,210. (No model.) Patented in England July 1, 1882, No. 3,108; in Belgium July 22, 1882, No. 58,589; in Germany July 25,1882,No. 24,582; in France July 26, 1882, No. 150,318; in Russia August5,1882,No. 5,699; in Italy September 80, 1882, No. 14,453; in Victoria November 18, 1882, No.

in South Australia December 20, 1882, No. 318; in Spain February 1, 1883, No. 3,478

8,844; in Cape of Good Hope December 15, l882,1 lo. 11/121; in AustriaHungary April 15, 1883,

No. 3,604; in Portugal May 2, 1883,1To. 841; in India May 8, 1883, No. 170/82, and in New South Wales June 2'7, 1883,

To all 107141772 it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. BRUSH, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Secondary-Battery Charging; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the distribution and automatic manipulation of the current employed in charging secondary batteries or apparatus for the storage of electrical energy; and it consists in the combination, with an electric generator, a main or charging circuit, and two or more secondary batteries connected or associated with the main or charging circuit in multiple arc, of mechanism actuated and controlled by the current for automatically and simultaneously switching all of said batteries into the charging-circuit.

The invention further consists in. the combination, with an electric generator, a main or charging circuit, and two or more secondary batteries connected or associated with the main or charging circuit in multiple arc, of mechanism actuated and controlled by the current for automatically and simultaneously switching all of said batteries out of the charging-circuit.

The invention further consists in certain other improvements in the arrangement and combinations of parts in a system for charging secondary l'iatterics, as will hereinafter be explained, and specified in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a system embodyin my in vention. Fig. 2 is a similar system having a resistance included in the circuit around the batteries.

A represents a current-generator, which may consist of a dynamo or magnetc-electric machine, tliermo electric, or other apparatus capable of furnishing an electric current.

B represents secondary batteries of any approved type or construction.

C is an electro-magnet located in the circuit a a a a connecting the generator and secondary batteries.

D represents a number ol' electric lamps, either are or incandescent, or other translating devices, such as motors or other devices.

E is a lever, which is pivoted at b and provided with an armature. c, facin the pole or poles of the magnet C. The lever E may be provided with an adjustable weight, 1.7. The free end of the lever carries contact-points e f, which are insulated from each other. To the charging-circuit a is electrically connected a stationary contact-point, g, which makes contact with f, and serves as a stop to the levcr E when the latter rises in obedience to the attract-ion of the magnet C. Contact e is electrically connected with the charging-circuit by means of a suitable flexible connection, as shown. Contact f is also connected by a flexible conductor with the section 0 of the charging-circuit. A conductor, E, of low resistance is electrically connected at one end with the section o of the charging-circuit, and at its opposite end is provided with a stationary contact-point, 71, which makes contact with c and serves as a stop to the lever E when the latter falls.

A conductor of l'usiblc metal, ll, may be employed for the purpose of opening that part of the circuit which is connected to the charging and discharging circuit by fusion, if the charging or discharging current becomes greatly abnormal in quantity from any cause.

In the drawin the lever E is shown in the position which it occupies while the generator 1 A is cl'iarging the batteries 13. The current l passes from the gcncrati'ir through the line a, contacts g f, line a, coi'iductors H, batteries 1 ll, line 1.1 magnet and line 1/", back to the generator. hen the charging4j-urrent stops or becomes greatly reduced, the magnet C being no longer able to support or uphold its lever E, the latter drops, separating the cont acts gf and making contact between 6 and l 72. Thus the batteries are disconnected at one i at 0.

end from the charging-line a, and the circuit of the generator is completed through other paths, viz: through the line 0, contacts 6 7L, conductor F, line magnet C, and line a. \Vhen the charging-current is again started, the magnet C raises the lever E into the position shown, and the charging of the batteries is resumed.

The translating devices D (shown in Fig. 1 as arranged in multiple are) and the translating devices I (shown in Fig. 2 as arranged both in multiple arc and in series are operated by the discharge of the batteries 13 when the charging-current from the generator is not acting. If they are left in circuit while the charging-current is acting, they may be regarded as being operated wholly or in part by the charging-current direct. If they require less than the charging-current, the excess of the latter will pass through the battery, augmenting its charge. If they require more than the charging-current, the latter will be supplemented and re-en'forced by a discharge from the battery. Instead of using the low conductor F, the resistance G, as shown in Fig. 2, may be employed, and maybe made adjustable, if desired. The contact-points e, f, g, and 71 are preferably made of carbonsuch as is used in electric-arc lighting-so that their surfaces may not become impaired by the sparks which may occur between them. Obviously an axial magnet with movable core may be employed instead of the form shown When the lever E rises, a spark or are must form between the points 6 and IL during the time the lever is moving and until contact is established between f and g. The ultimate distance apart of e and 71 is so adjusted that the resistance to the passage of current offered by the spark or are between these points is considerable, or even greater than that offered by the batteries B, so thatwhenf' and 1 make contact, the passage of current between 9 and 72. ceases. \Vhen a resistance, G, is placed in the short circuit, the points 6 71 may be worked at a less separation and the spark or are between them greatly reduced, owing to'thc fact that the resistance replaces more or less of that which was in the first instance necessarily in the spark between 6 and 71. i

From the foregoing explanation it will be observed that when the current is not acting in the charging-circuit all the batteries 13 will be open-circuitcd or disconnected from the cliarging-circuit, and the latter will be short-circuited around all of said batteries; also when the charging-current is established in the charging circuit or line the short circuit around the batteries will be opened and all of the batteries will be thrown or automatically switched into the charging-cir cuit. Again,when the charging-current stops, all of the batteries will be automatically switched out of the charging-circuit, and the latter short-circuited, as at first. These automatic operations prevent the inverse discharge of the batteries through the charging line or circuit when the charging-current is discontinued, prevent reversal of polarity in the dynamo-machine when such is employed for charging, and leave a closed circuit for the charging-current to reestablish itself in when recharging orcontinued charging of the batteries is desired.

This application is a division of my original application, designated as (a se T, filed June 13, 1882, Serial No. (M t 33, and, for the sake of distinguishing it from other applications, is designated as Division ot' Case T.

The invention described and claimed in my original application referred to relates, broadly, to devices or mechanism for automatically controlling and manipulating the charging-current, and is not confined to any particular arrangement or association of the batteries with respect to the charging-circuit, and I make no claim in this case to such broad subject-matter, as in this application the invention shown, described, and claimed relates to a separate and distinct improvement consisting in the relative arrangement of the batteries, chargirig-circuit, and an automatic switching mechanism or manipulator, substantially as hereinbelore set forth, and as will be specified in the claims, and is not restricted or limited to any particular constructitm and arrangement of parts for automatically switching or manipulating the chargi n g-currents.

The invention herein described and claimed is described, but not specifically claimed, in patents granted in the following "foreign countries: England, No. 3,108, July 1, 1882; France, No. 150,318, July 26, 1882; Belgium, No. 58,535), July 22, 1882; Germany, No. 24,582, July 5, 1882; Italy, No. 11,153, September 30, 1882; Austria, No. 3,604, April15,1883; Russia, No. 5,099, August 5, 1882; Spain, No. 3,478, l ebruary 1, 1883, Portugal, No. 8&1, May 2, 1883; (Tape 01 Good Hope, 11/121, December 15, 1882; India, 170/82, May 8, 1883; New South \Vales, No. 1,262, June 27, 1883; Victoria, No. 3,314, November 13,1882; South Australia, No. 318, December 20, 1882.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. The combination, with an electrical generator, a main or charging circuit, and two or more secondarybatteries, each included in an independent multiple-arc branch circuit of the main or charging circuit, each secondary battery having a discharging or working eircuit connected therewith, of a switch for electrically connecting and disconnecting all of said secondary batteries and the main or charging circuit, and an electro-magnet constructed and arranged to actuate the switch and automatically and simultaneously switch all said batteries into the cl1arging-circuit, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with an electrical gen orator, a main or charging circuit, and two or more secondarybatteries, each included in an independent i'nultiple-arc branch circuit of the main or charging circuit, each secondary battery haying a discharging or working circuit connected therewith, of a switch for electrically connecting and disconnecting all of said secondary batteries and the main or charging circuit, and an electromagnet constructed and arranged to actuate the switch and automatically and simultaneously switch substantially as set forth.

The combination, with an electrical generator, a main or charging circuit, and two or more secondarybatteries, each included in an independent multiple-arc branch circuit ot the main or charging circuit, each secondary battery having a discharging or working cirand disconnecting all said batteries and the i erator, a main or charging circuit, andtwo or more secondary batteries, each included in an independent 1nultiple-arc branch of the main or charging circuit, each secondary battery haying a discharging or working circuit, of a switch constructed and arranged to electrically connect and disconnect the batteries and the charging-circuit, a short circuit including 1 a resistance around all said batteries adapted to be opened and controlled by said switch, all said batteries out of the charging-eircuit, i

and an electro-magnet constructed and arranged to actuate said switch and automatically and simultaneously switch all said batteries out of the charging-circuit and establish a circuit including the resistance around all said batteries, substantially as set forth.

(3. A system embracing .a suitable electric generator, a main or chargingcircuit, and two cuit, of a switch for electrically connecting main or charging circuit, and a circuit around i all said batteries adapted to be opened and closed by said switch, and an electro-magnet included in the charging-circuit and arranged to actuate said switch and automatically and simultaneously switch all said batteries out of the charging-circuit when the current stops or becomes suliicient-ly reduced and establish a circuit for the cl1arging-current around all said batteries, substantially as set forth.

l. The combinatioi'i,with an electrical generator, a main or charging circuit, and two or more secondarybatteries, each included in an independent multiple-arc branch of the main or charging circuit, each secondary battery having a discharging or workin circuit, of a circuit adapted to be closed around all said batteries, :ind an electro-magnet included in the charging-circuit and arranged to actuate said switch and automatically establish a or more secondary batteries, each included in an independent nmltiple-arc branch of the main or charging circuit, each battery being i provided with a discharging or working circuit, of a short circuit adapted to be opened and closed, and a switch included in the charging-circuit and arranged to simultaneously switch all said batteries into and out of the charging-circuit, and an electro-magnet constructed and arranged to actuate the switch and automatically and simultaneously switch all of thebatteriesoutot the eharging-circuitv and establish a circuit around said batteries 1 when the charging-current ceases or li ecomes irentis re-cstablished,

sufficiently reduced, and for opening said short circuit and switchingall of said batteriesinto the charging-circuit when the charging-cursul'lstantizidly as set forth. 4

In testimony whereof I have signed this. specification in the presence ot two subscribing witnesses.

closed circuit for the charging-current around all said batteries when the charging-current i stops or becomes sutliciently reduced, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with an electrical gen- CHARLES F. BRUSH.

lVitnesses: LEVERETT L. LEeGETr, ALBERT E. LYNCH. 

